There are many types of limited use or disposable protective garments and apparel designed to provide barrier properties. One type of protective garment is protective coveralls. Coveralls can be used to effectively seal off a wearer from a harmful environment in ways that open or cloak style garments such as, for example, drapes, gowns, shirts, pants and the like are unable to do. Accordingly, coveralls have many applications where isolation of a wearer from a work environment is desirable. For example, it may be desirable to isolate a worker from a hazardous environment. As another example, it may be desirable to isolate an environment (e.g., a clean room) from a worker.
For a variety of reasons, it is undesirable for hazardous liquids and/or pathogens which may be carried by liquids to pass through protective apparel. It is also highly desirable to use protective apparel to isolate persons from dusts, powders, and other particulates which may be present in a work place or accident site. Generally speaking, protective apparel relies on the barrier properties of the fabrics used in their construction. Some of these fabrics may even have received treatments to enhance barrier properties. However, barrier performance of protective apparel also depends on the design and construction of the garment. Apparel containing many seams may be unsatisfactory, especially if the seams are located in positions where they may be subjected to stress and/or direct contact with hazardous substances. Seams located at the front of apparel are particularly susceptible to stress and/or direct contact with hazardous substances. For example, seams that join sleeves or legs to the body portion of protective coveralls are often subjected to stress. Moreover, sleeve seams in the front of coveralls and seams about the chest are at locations of frequent accidental splashing, spraying and/or other exposures.
After use, it can be quite costly to decontaminate protective apparel that has been exposed to hazardous substances. Thus, it is important that protective apparel be inexpensive so as to be disposable. Generally speaking, protective garments are made from barrier materials/fabrics engineered to be relatively impervious to liquids and/or particulates. The cost of such materials as well as the garment's design and construction are important factors affecting cost. Desirably, all of these factors should be suited for the manufacture of protective garments at such low cost that it may be economical to discard the garment after only a single use.
Protective garments must be worn correctly to reduce the chance of exposure. Workers are more likely to wear protective garments (e.g., protective coveralls) properly if the garments are comfortable. One way to increase comfort is to have the garment fit well. Protective garments (e.g., protective coveralls) containing many separate panels, pieces, dissimilar materials and/or elastic components may tend to fit well but are generally more complex and difficult to manufacture quickly. Complex and relatively inefficient manufacturing processes can eliminate the cost advantages provided by inexpensive materials. Moreover, an increased number of seams and/or the presence of dissimilar materials can increase the chance of exposure.
Thus, a need exists for inexpensive protective garments such as, for example, protective garment having desirable barrier properties, a reduced number of seams and no seams located at the front face of the garment. There is still a need for such protective garments suited for high-speed manufacturing and converting processes. For example, a need exists for protective garments manufactured from a single seamless sheet of an inexpensive barrier material such that the garments are relatively impermeable to liquids and/or particulates and so inexpensive as to be disposable while also having a reduced number of seams and no seams located at the front face of the garments.